Moa's arkThe evolutionary reason for the massive difference in size between male and female giant moa -- the extinct giant birds of New Zealand -- has been revealed for the first time.

Bean leaves can trap bedbugs, researchers findInspired by a traditional Balkan bedbug remedy, researchers have documented how microscopic hairs on kidney bean leaves effectively stab and trap the biting insects, according to findings published online today in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

Contacts, collisions, sutures, belts, and margins -- new GSA Bulletin contentGSA Bulletin articles posted online ahead of print over the last month study a Carboniferous collision in central Asia; crystal xenoliths in the Bolivian Altiplano; The Tsakhir Event; Onverwacht Group and Fig Tree Group contact, Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa; iron oxide deposits in the Paraíba Basin, NE Brazil; the southern Alaska syntaxis; paleotopography of the South Norwegian margin; and the Cheyenne belt suture zone, USA.

NREL employees lauded by industry peersEmployees of the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory were recently recognized by industry peers for their work in grid integration, industry advancement and electrochemistry.

Better wheat for a warming planetWashington State University will lead a $16.2 million effort to develop wheat varieties that are better at tolerating the high temperatures found in most of the world's growing regions -- temperatures that are likely to increase with global warming.

Sensational success in patients with major depressionResearchers from the Bonn University Hospital implanted pacemaker electrodes into the medial forebrain bundle in the brains of patients suffering from major depression with amazing results: In six out of seven patients, symptoms improved both considerably and rapidly.

Copper surfaces reduce the rate of health care-acquired infections in the ICUPlacement of copper objects in intensive care unit hospital rooms reduced the number of healthcare-acquired infections in patients by more than half, according to a new study published in the May issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, in a special topic issue focused on the role of the environment in infection prevention.

25 percent don't complete recommended breast cancer treatmentOne-quarter of women who should take hormone-blocking therapies as part of their breast cancer treatment either do not start or do not complete the five-year course, according to a new study led by University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers.

UCLA researchers find potential link between auto pollution, some childhood cancersResearchers at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health, led by Julia Heck, assistant researcher in the department of epidemiology and member of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, have found a possible link between exposure to traffic-related air pollution and several childhood cancers in the first study on traffic air pollution and childhood cancers (other than leukemia, lymphomas and brain tumors).

New evidence that egg white protein may help high blood pressureScientists reported new evidence today that a substance in egg whites -- already popular among health-conscious consumers as a substitute for whole eggs concerned about cholesterol in the yolk -- may have another beneficial effect in reducing blood pressure.

Genomics may help ID organisms in outbreaks of serious infectious diseaseResearchers have been able to reconstruct the genome sequence of an outbreak strain of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli using metagenomics (the direct sequencing of DNA extracted from microbiologically complex samples), according to a study in the April 10 issue of JAMA, a Genomics theme issue.

Treatment leads to near-normal life expectancy for people with HIV in South AfricaIn South Africa, people with HIV who start treatment with anti-AIDS drugs (antiretroviral therapy) have life expectancies around 80 percent of that of the general population provided that they start treatment before their CD4 count drops below 200 (cells per microliter), according to a study by South African researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

A new vision for educating tomorrow's scientistsFundamental changes are needed in the education of the scientists whose work impacts medicine, drug discovery, development of sustainable new fuels and other global challenges society is facing in the 21st century.

The past and future of cloud researchMore than 80 scientists, climatologists and weather experts from across the globe will descend on the City College of New York this month to take part in a conference celebrating the collection of three decades-worth of worldwide satellite observations of the properties, behavior and effects of clouds.

A step toward optical transistors?In results published online recently in the journal Nano Letters, McGill University researchers show that all-optical modulation and basic Boolean logic functionality -- key steps in the processing and generation of signals -- can be achieved by using laser-pulse inputs to manipulate the quantum mechanical state of a semiconductor nanocrystal.

Blockade of pathogen's metabolismIn the search for new antibiotics, researchers are taking an unusual approach: They are developing peptides, short chains of protein building blocks that effectively inhibit a key enzyme of bacterial metabolism.

New technology spots drugs' early impact on cancerA new preclinical technology enables researchers to quickly determine if a particular treatment is effective against gastrointestinal stromal tumors, providing a boost to animal research and possibly patient care, according to new findings presented by Fox Chase Cancer Center at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 on Tuesday, April 9.

IDRI and Medicago to present data at the World Vaccine CongressIDRI, a Seattle-based non-profit research organization that is a leading developer of adjuvants used in vaccines combating infectious disease, and Medicago Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing highly effective and competitive vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles, will present positive interim Phase I clinical results for their H5N1 Avian Influenza VLP vaccine candidate.

Iceman Ötzi had bad teethFor the first time, researchers from the Centre for Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich together with colleagues abroad have been able to provide evidence of periodontitis, tooth decay and accident-related dental damage in the ice mummy 'Ötzi'.

Google searches about mental illness follow seasonal patternsA new study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that Google searches for information across all major mental illnesses and problems followed seasonal patterns, suggesting mental illness may be more strongly linked with seasonal patterns than previously thought.

Genetic variants of heart disorder discovered in some cases of stillbirthIn a molecular genetic evaluation involving 91 cases of intrauterine fetal death, mutations associated with susceptibility to long QT syndrome (LQTS; a heart disorder that increases the risk for an irregular heartbeat and other adverse events) were discovered in a small number of these cases, preliminary evidence that may provide insights into the mechanism of some intrauterine fetal deaths, according to a study in the April 10 issue of JAMA, a Genomics theme issue.

AACR news: New target plus new drug equals death of melanoma cellsCollaborative research presented by the University of Colorado Cancer Center, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Harvard Medical School and the University of Pittsburgh, at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Conference, shows that the protein receptor Mer is overexpressed in melanoma and that the investigational drug UNC1062 blocks Mer survival signaling in these cells, killing them.

Association between genetic mutation and risk of death for patients with thyroid cancerPresence of the genetic mutation BRAF V600E was significantly associated with increased cancer-related death among patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC); however, because overall mortality in PTC is low and the association was not independent of tumor characteristics, how to use this information to manage mortality risk in patients with PTC is unclear, according to a study in the April 10 issue of JAMA, a Genomics theme issue.

Shingles vaccine is associated with reduction in both postherpetic neuralgia and herpes zosterA vaccine to prevent shingles may reduce by half the occurrence of this painful skin and nerve infection in older people (aged over 65 years) and may also reduce the rate of a painful complication of shingles, post-herpetic neuralgia, but has a very low uptake (only 4 percent) in older adults in the United States, according to a study by UK and US researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

Genes linked with AD among African-Americans and individuals of European ancestryIn a meta-analysis of data from nearly 6,000 African-Americans, Alzheimer's disease was significantly associated with a gene that have been weakly associated with Alzheimer's disease in individuals of European ancestry, although additional studies are needed to determine risk estimates specific for African-Americans, according to a study in the April 10 issue of JAMA, a Genomics theme issue.

Snowflakes falling on camerasUniversity of Utah researchers developed a high-speed camera system that spent the past two winters photographing snowflakes in 3-D as they fell -- and they don't look much like those perfect-but-rare snowflakes often seen in photos.

Class project inspires research article in EcologyA study that began as a class project among graduate students at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science is now a peer-reviewed research article in Ecology, the flagship journal of the Ecological Society of America.

New treatment holds promise for resistant lung cancerA new chemotherapy regimen appears to produce minimal side effects in patients with lung cancer that has not responded to previous therapy, paving the way for additional research to determine if the new regimen also helps shrink tumors, according findings to be presented by Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 on Tuesday, April 9.

£670,000 EPSRC grant for new professorA £670,000 research project headed by a new University of Huddersfield professor promises major economic benefits, higher safety standards and less likelihood of power cuts by transforming the techniques for detecting potentially dangerous and destructive faults in electricity sub-stations.

Best Science Podcasts 2019

AnthropomorphicDo animals grieve? Do they have language or consciousness? For a long time, scientists resisted the urge to look for human qualities in animals. This hour, TED speakers explore how that is changing. Guests include biological anthropologist Barbara King, dolphin researcher Denise Herzing, primatologist Frans de Waal, and ecologist Carl Safina.

#534 Bacteria are Coming for Your OJWhat makes breakfast, breakfast? Well, according to every movie and TV show we've ever seen, a big glass of orange juice is basically required. But our morning grapefruit might be in danger. Why? Citrus greening, a bacteria carried by a bug, has infected 90% of the citrus groves in Florida. It's coming for your OJ. We'll talk with University of Maryland plant virologist Anne Simon about ways to stop the citrus killer, and with science writer and journalist Maryn McKenna about why throwing antibiotics at the problem is probably not the solution. Related links: A Review of the Citrus Greening...